Stormy Weather!

Local Storm Clouds

It's been a rainy week in our neighborhood! The total precipitation for the past seven days is 8.42"! Wow! Most of the snow has melted, and the river has risen 4' in the past week! The river flow rate is currently 1900 cfs (cubic feet per second), compared to 200 cfs as of last Saturday! More rain is predicted for this coming week. I haven't gone up to the Lakes Basin since it snowed, but plan to hike up there tomorrow. Should be lovely!!!

Part of Grizzly Peak 12/01/19

The temperatures have really warmed up from the 20's to the 40's.  When it snowed a week ago, the snow was gorgeous on the higher ridges!  

Steller's Jay - Cyanocitta stelleri

Clever Corvids!

Lots of Steller's Jays, and a pair of Ravens, spend the entire winter here in our neighborhood.  They both belong to the Corvidae, or "crow" family of birds.   Corvids are the smartest birds in the world!   Many studies have shown that they are capable of modifying their inherited behavior patterns, and can solve challenges/problems that arise!!  They are found on all the continents of the world, except for Antarctica, and all the countries, except New Zealand! 

 Steller's Jays mate for life.  They are omnivores and eat carrion, small mammals, bird eggs, baby birds, insects, reptiles, acorns, berries, seeds, and garbage.   They have habituated readily to humans, and are regular scavengers in residential areas, campgrounds and picnic areas.  They are excellent vocal mimics, like Ravens, and easily imitate the sounds and calls made by other birds, dogs, cats, squirrels, as well as environmental and man made noises!

Scrub Jay - Aphelocoma californica

In October 2017, a Scrub Jay (another corvid) hung around our garden for a week!!! I was SO surprised!   They typically do not come up here!  They usually live in brushy areas and oak woodlands, from the coast to the foothills of California.  California Scrub Jays are highly dependent on oaks and acorns.  Acorns are their main food during fall and winter.  One Jay will bury up to 5,000 acorns in small holes in the ground during the months of fall!  These acorns will all eventually be dug up and consumed in the following seasons!  Like other members of the corvid family, Scrub Jays are quite intelligent and have excellent memories.  Some studies have shown that they not only remember the past (e.g. where they buried the acorns) but also think forward to the future (e.g. They will move their buried acorns if they think another bird saw them being buried, in anticipation of them possibly being stolen!) They will also eat insects, other nuts & seeds, ticks off of deer, as well as bird eggs and nestlings when available! 

 Common Ravens - Corvus corax

Of all the corvids, Ravens may be the smartest! They are capable of learning innovative solutions to newly encountered problems! They are also the biggest of all perching birds! (Crows are a lot smaller than Ravens, and usually live in the foothills and the Central Valley of California.) Ravens can be found in almost any location across the globe! However, Ravens are non-migratory, and remain all year in their chosen location. 

Ravens are omnivorous, and eat carrion, small mammals, baby birds, bird eggs, insects, acorns, grains, fish, and even garbage! They are also known to store extra food in secret hiding places! They will often feed together in large groups, but live singly or in mated pairs.

Of all the corvids, Ravens are the most playful! They have been seen playing games, like dropping a stick in the air and catching it before it lands! Ravens also like to swing upside down, do rolls and somersaults in the air, and slide down snow banks! Scientists think this play may be just for fun, or perhaps a way of showing off and attracting a mate.

Common Ravens - Corvus corax

I saw these two pairs of Ravens flying together a couple of weeks ago.  The couple on the top left is our local resident couple that have lived here for many years.  The couple on the bottom right were just visiting, and only hung around for that day.  Maybe it was the offspring of our local couple, re-visiting with his new mate???  Wouldn't that be amazing?  It was really interesting to watch their interactions!

Yellow-billed Magpie - Pica nuttalli

Two summers ago a Yellow-billed Magpie (another corvid) lived in our neighborhood for 3 months.  It left in the fall of that year, and hasn't been back since!  I first noticed it because of its LOUD varying calls!  It is also quite large, with a wingspan of 25" and a body length of 19".  These birds are RARELY seen in our area. They are endemic to California, but are usually found west of the Sierra Nevada, in the foothills, central valley, and in the valleys of the Coast Range south of San Francisco where they are year-round residents. They do not migrate outside of California.  Ground-dwelling insects, small mammals, grains, acorns, carrion, and berries are the main components of their diet. They will also eat dog food and scavenge at compost piles.  In winter they can be found roosting in large groups of up to 800+ Magpies!  

Clark's Nutcracker - Nicifraga columbiana

The Clark's Nutcracker is NOT found in my neighborhood, but they are corvids native to the high elevations of Sierra County.  I had to mention them, because of their amazing ability to store pine seeds for the winter.  One pair of nesting Clark's Nutcrackers was observed storing 33,000 pine seeds for winter, in 7,500 different locations!!!  They only store a handful of seeds in each location, and have an unerring ability to find these cached seeds in the winter, underneath the snow!  Now that's SMART!

Mule Deer - Raccoon - Gray Fox

 Odocoileus hemionus ssp. - Procyon lotor - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Tracks!

 In most books on tracking the tracks look defined and perfect.  In reality, tracks in the snow vary greatly in appearance.  Tracking is actually quite complicated!  Here's a list of some of the things you need to notice when trying to figure out a track:

How many toes are there?

Are any claws present?

How wide and how long are the footprints?  

What is the stride length?

How deep is the track?

How old is the track?

Is there any scat that might identify who left the track?

Where is the track located?

As you can see, there's LOTS to learn about tracking.  The internet has lots of good sources for tracking.  The following website is an excellent reference site for tracks

http://www.naturetracking.com/mammal-tracks/

Our local Gray Foxes do this interesting thing called "direct registering" when they walk in the snow. Their hind feet land exactly upon the recently made front tracks.  This "registering" conserves energy when they're walking in the snow!  Foxes are usually nocturnal, but can also be seen during the daytime.  They are omnivorous and eat mice, birds, squirrels, rabbits, berries, insects, seeds, and acorns.  The Gray Fox lives in hollow trees or logs, rock ledges and sometimes old culverts. Their body is usually 31"-44 " long, with a tail an additional 8"-17".  They weigh 7-13 lbs.

To withstand the cold and wet of winter, Mule Deer grow thick shaggy coats, 

which help retain body heat. They gain extra body fat in the fall, which is used in the winter.   Some of them will migrate to lower snow-free elevations for the winter. Others will stay all winter in mid-elevations, and survive on the newer tips of trees and shrubs as well as fungi, acorns, and berries. Like cows, they are ruminants, and have four separate stomachs, that make it possible to digest this tough plant material!  They are approximately 3'-3.5' tall and up to 7.6' in length.  Female Black-tailed Deer weigh 70-160 lbs.  Males weigh 110-475 lbs!  

In winter Raccoons don't hibernate, but fall into a deep sleep for several days at a time in their dens. They make their dens in hollow logs, rock crevices, or underground burrows.  Several raccoons may share a den, but they are usually members of the same family.  They don't store any food for winter, but forage frequently for berries, seeds, insects, and fish. They mainly forage at night, but are occasionally seen during the day. You won't see them catching fish in the river, as they prefer to catch them in ponds, lakes, or streams.  Raccoons can be 24"-37" long, with a tail an additional 7"-16".  They can weigh 12-48 lbs.

 Mountain Quail - Dark-eyed Junco - Western Gray Squirrel

 Oreortyx pictus - Junco hyemalis - Sciurus griseus

I've been seeing Mountain Quail all over my neighborhood for the past few weeks!  They are usually in small coveys of 5-7, and they run away as soon as you get close!  They are super elegant and beautiful with their dramatic markings and their two bobble-head feathers!   Mountain Quail are "uncommon" in our area.  They feed on seeds, fruits, flowers and a few insects. They are the largest quail in the United States, measuring 10'-12' in length, and weighing 6.7-9.2 ounces! 

In the fall, flocks of Dark-eyed Juncos migrate down to our neighborhood from the higher elevations.  They will stay here, and feed on seeds throughout the winter.

This Western Gray Squirrel does not hibernate.  They forage on the ground for acorns, pine seeds, and fungi.  They eat over 25 species of fungi!  They also bury food in scattered hoards in the fall, to live off during the winter.

Mountain Lion

Felis concolor

The main food of our local Mountain Lions is Mule Deer.  They will also eat mice, rabbits, hares, raccoons, and domestic animals.  They are most active from dusk to dawn, and can travel long distances looking for prey, up to 15 miles in one night! They have a poor sense of smell, but have excellent vision and hearing.  They rely on surprise to catch their prey, and can leap 40 to 45 feet in one jump!  They usually kill one deer every 9-12 days.  They will eat up to 20 lbs at one time.  They will cover the remaining carcass with leaves, dirt, and/or pine needles, and feed from it over a period of several days.

Mountain Lions weigh from 140-180 lbs., and are 7'-8' in length.  The foot print of a Mountain Lion is 101 mm, about the size of a baseball.  They keep their claws retracted, and are not usually visible in their tracks.

Porcupine - Pine Cone - Black Bear

 Erethizon dorsatum - Pinus jeffreyi - Ursus americanus

I came across these Porcupine foot prints several years ago up in the Lakes Basin.  They have a distinct pigeon-toed track.  They do not hibernate, and feed on leaves, twigs, the cambium of trees throughout the winter.  Primarily nocturnal, they sleep during the day in a hollow log, underground burrow, or tree top!  Usually solitary critters, porcupines are more "social" in winter!  Up to 8 porcupines may share the same winter den!  They have also been known to forage together during winter, in groups of up to 20 porcupines!  They are 26"-37" in length, with a 6"-12" quilled tail, and weigh 8-35 lbs!

The local Black Bears don't truly hibernate.  They spend most of the winter sleeping, but can become active if the weather is mild.  They do not eat, drink, or defecate all winter!  Since bears are metabolizing mostly fat, they do not accumulate huge amounts of urea in their blood during winter.  They also convert any urea into creatinine which is non-toxic.  Their nitrogen wastes are biochemically recycled back into protein, hence they do not lose their muscle mass!  That's why bears can climb a mountain right after they emerge from their winter den!  They are 4.5'-6' in length and 3'-3.5' in height.  Female Black Bears weigh 85 to 520 lbs.  Males weigh 103-900 lbs!

What's happening on the creek?

How much snow did the Lakes Basin get?

Where are the deer?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

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